Beeswax (yellow and white)
8012-89-3 · BEESWAX · Beeswax, white and yellow · E 901 · White wax · Yellow wax · E901 · 901 · Beeswax (yellow and white) · Beeswax, white and yellow · Baltais un dzeltenais bišu vasks · Beeswax, white and yellow · Biely a žltý včelí vosk · Bienenwachs, weiß und gelb · BIENENWACHS; WEISS UND GELB · Bijenwas, wit en geel · Bivax, vitt och gult · Bivoks, hvidt og gult · Bičių vaškas, baltas ir geltonas · Ceară de albine, albă și galbenă · Cera d'api, bianca e gialla · CERA D'API, BINACA E GIALLA · Cera de abeja, blanca y amarilla · Cera de abelhas (branca e amarela) · Cire d’abeille blanche et jaune · Fehér és sárga méhviasz · KOLLANE JA VALGE MEEVAHA · Meevaha (valge ja kollane) · Mehiläisvaha, valkoinen ja keltainen · Pčelinji vosak, bijeli i žuti · Včelí vosk, bílý a žlutý · Wosk pszczeli, biały i żółty · Xama' tan-naħal, abjad u isfar · XAMA’ TAN-NAĦAL, BAJDA U SAFRA · čebelji vosek, beli in rumeni · Κηρός μελισσών, λευκός και κίτρινος · ПЧЕЛЕН ВОСЪК, БЯЛ И ЖЪЛТ · Пчелен восък — бял и жълтE number E901INS 901CAS 8012-89-3
Listed as a glazing agent by Canada, Codex and the US.
Listed as glazing and surface-finishing agents (CA, US, Codex) · emulsifiers (Codex) · thickeners (Codex) · stabilisers (Codex) · flavouring agents and adjuvants (US) · carriers (Codex) · lubricants and release agents (US)
- Canada: Glazing agent — Health Canada, List of Permitted Glazing Agents (List 7)
- United States: Surface-finishing agent — FDA, Substances Added to Food: BEESWAX
- United States: Surface-finishing agents — 21 CFR 184.1973, citing 21 CFR 170.3(o)(30)
- Codex Alimentarius: Glazing agent — CXS 192-1995 Table One, INS 901
- Codex Alimentarius: Emulsifier — CXS 192-1995 Table One, INS 901
- Codex Alimentarius: Thickener — CXS 192-1995 Table One, INS 901
- Codex Alimentarius: Stabilizer — CXS 192-1995 Table One, INS 901
- United States: Flavoring agent or adjuvant — FDA, Substances Added to Food: BEESWAX, BLEACHED
- United States: Flavoring agents and adjuvants — 21 CFR 184.1973, citing 21 CFR 170.3(o)(12)
- Codex Alimentarius: Carrier — CXS 192-1995 Table One, INS 901
- United States: Lubricant or release agent — FDA, Substances Added to Food: BEESWAX
- United States: Lubricants and release agents — 21 CFR 184.1973, citing 21 CFR 170.3(o)(18)
Beeswax is a glazing agent used to coat confectionery, fresh fruit and supplements, giving a shine and a moisture barrier. It is an animal product, though most vegetarians accept it.
Where it is and isn’t permitted
| Jurisdiction | Status | Scope and limits | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia and New Zealand | Permitted, with conditions | 55 food categories no numerical limit (good manufacturing practice) Show every food category
| Food Standards Code, Schedule 15, S15—5and 54 further provisionsretrieved 2026-10-17 |
| Canada | Permitted, with conditions | highest permitted level 4,000 mg/kg 2 permitted uses Show every permitted use
| Health Canadaand 1 further provisionretrieved 2026-10-17 |
| European Union | Permitted, with conditions | 11 food categories Show every food category
| Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, Annex IIand 10 further provisionsretrieved 2026-10-18 |
| Great Britain | Permitted, with conditions | 11 food categories Show every food category
| Assimilated Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008and 10 further provisionsretrieved 2026-10-18 |
| Japan | No listing matchedThis site imports only Japan’s list of designated additives (Appended Table 1 to the Regulations for Enforcement of the Food Sanitation Act), matched by English name. Existing additives, natural flavouring agents and ordinary foods used as additives are permitted outside that list and are not imported, so an empty row does not show that Japan does not permit the substance. | ||
| South Korea | Permitted, with conditions | Designated food additive: Standards and Specifications for Food Additives, Part III, 1. …Designated food additive: Standards and Specifications for Food Additives, Part III, 1. 일반식품첨가물 (general food additives), 밀납 (“Beeswax”, the English the Code prints beside it). Main use (주용도) of 밀납: 피막제. Standard for use (사용기준) of 밀납: (1) [to be used under the general standard for use in II. 2. 1), the minimum amount that achieves the technical effect, with no limit set for this additive in particular] “II. 2. 1)의 규정에 따라 사용하여야 한다.” The Korean is the standard as published. There is no official English translation of the current Code (the English version on MFDS’s website is the 2020 edition and has no legal effect); the English in square brackets is this site’s description of what each sentence does, not a translation of the foods or the levels. Compositional specifications (Part IV) are not imported, nor are the general standards in Part II, which apply to every additive. | Standards and Specifications for Food Additives (식품첨가물의 기준 및 규격), MFDS Notification, Part III (Standards for use, by item)retrieved 2026-10-18 |
| United States | Permitted | 21 CFR 184.1973retrieved 2026-10-17 | |
| Codex Alimentarius | Permitted, with conditions | 12 food categories highest permitted level 200 mg/kg Show every food category and its notes
| CXS 192-1995 Table One, INS 901and 11 further provisionsretrieved 2026-09-07 |
How much is permitted
A listing usually limits the quantity as well as the food. Only one of the forms that takes is a figure: quantum satis and good manufacturing practice permit the amount the technological effect requires and no more, which is a limit rather than the absence of one. Figures below are the range across every food category this page is listed in, and categories differ between regulators — see how much is permitted.
| Australia and New Zealand | — | 55 GMP |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | 4,000 mg/kg | 2 numeric limit |
| European Union | — | 11 quantum satis |
| Great Britain | — | 11 quantum satis |
| South Korea | — | 1 no quantity stated |
| United States | — | 1 no quantity stated |
| Codex Alimentarius | 200 mg/kg | 1 numeric limit, 11 GMP |
What it is made from
Rendered from the honeycomb of the honey bee after honey extraction, then filtered; the white form is additionally bleached.
- Not vegan
- Vegetarian
Compare other additives on the dietary indexes.
- CAS registry number
- 8012-89-3
The two specifications, compared
The European Union sets identity and purity by regulation; JECFA publishes its own through FAO, advisory until a country adopts it. Both documents are below in full. These are the parameters each puts a number on.
| Parameter | European Union | JECFA |
|---|---|---|
| Lead | no more than 2 mg/kg | no more than 2 mg/kg |
| Arsenic | no more than 3 mg/kg | — |
| Mercury | no more than 1 mg/kg | — |
The two documents state the same figures for every parameter compared here.
How the EU defines it
The legal specification an additive must meet to be sold as this E number in the EU — what it is, how it may be made, and the purity it must reach. From Commission Regulation (EU) No 231/2012.
E 901 Beeswax, white and yellow
Yellow bees wax is the wax obtained by melting the walls of the honeycomb made by the honey bee, Apis mellifera L., with hot water and removing foreign matter White beeswax is obtained by bleaching yellow beeswax
Synonyms: White wax; Yellow wax
Assay, identification and purity criteria
Description and assay
- Einecs
- 232-383-7
- Description
- Yellowish white (white form) or yellowish to greyish brown (yellow form) pieces or plates with a fine-grained and non-crystalline fracture, having an agreeable, honey-like odour
Identification
- Melting range
- Between 62 °C and 65 °C
- Specific gravity
- About 0,96
- Solubility
- Insoluble in water, sparingly soluble in alcohol, very soluble in chloroform and ether
Purity criteria
- Acid value
- Not less than 17 and not more than 24
- Saponification value
- 87-104
- Peroxide value
- Not more than 5
- Glycerol and other polyols
- Not more than 0,5 % (as glycerol)
- Ceresin, paraffins and certain other waxes
- Transfer 3,0 g of the sample to a 100 ml round-bottomed flask, add 30 ml of a 4% w/v solution of potassium hydroxide in aldehyde-free ethanol and boil gently under a reflux condenser for 2 h. Remove the condenser and immediately insert a thermometer. Place the flask in water at 80 °C and allow to cool, swirling the solution continuously. No precipitate is formed before the temperature reaches 65 °C, although the solution may be opalescent.
- Fats, Japan wax, rosin and soaps
- Boil 1 g of the sample for 30 min with 35 ml of a 1 in 7 solution of sodium hydroxide, maintaining the volume by the occasional addition of water, and cool the mixture. The wax separates and the liquid remains clear. Filter the cold mixture and acidify the filtrate with hydrochloric acid. No precipitate is formed.
- Arsenic
- Not more than 3 mg/kg
- Lead
- Not more than 2 mg/kg
- Mercury
- Not more than 1 mg/kg
How JECFA defines it
The international specification for identity and purity, prepared by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives and published by FAO. It is a different document from any above, written by a different body and revised on its own cycle; it is advisory, and a country adopts it or does not.
INS 901 Beeswax
Beeswax is obtained from the honeycombs of bees (Fam. Apidae , e.g. Apis mellifera L ) after the honey has been removed by draining or centrifuging. The combs are melted with hot water, steam or solar heat; the melted product is filtered and cast into cakes of yellow beeswax. White beeswax is obtained by bleaching the yellow beeswax with oxidizing agents, e.g. hydrogen peroxide, sulfuric acid, or sunlight. Beeswax consists of a mixture of esters of fatty acids and fatty alcohols, hydrocarbons and free fatty acids; minor amounts of free fatty alcohols are also present.
Synonyms: INS No. 901
Assay, identification and purity criteria
Description and assay
- Specification history
- Revised specifications prepared at the 65 th JECFA (2005) and published in FNP 52 Add 13 (2005), superseding specifications prepared at the 39 th JECFA (1992) and published in FNP 52 Add 1 (1992), and incorporating the decisions on the metals and arsenic specifications agreed at the 63 rd JECFA (2004) and published in FNP 52 Add 12 (2004). The 65 th JECFA (2005) considered the additive to be of no toxicological concern for the functional uses listed.
- C.A.S. number
- 8006-40-4 (yellow beeswax) 8012-89-3 (white beeswax)
- DESCRIPTION
- Yellow beeswax: yellow or light-brown solid that is somewhat brittle when cold and presents a dull, granular, non-crystalline fracture when broken; it becomes pliable at about 35 o . It has a characteristic odour of honey. White beeswax: white or yellowish white solid (thin layers are translucent) having a faint and characteristic odour of honey
- FUNCTIONAL USES
- Glazing agent; release agent; stabilizer; texturizer for chewing gum base; carrier for food additives (including flavours and colours); clouding agent
Identification
- Solubility (Vol. 4)
- Insoluble in water; sparingly soluble in alcohol; very soluble in ether
Purity criteria
- Melting range
- 62 - 65 o
- Acid value (Vol. 4)
- 17 - 24
- Peroxide value
- Not more than 5 See description under TESTS
- Saponification value (Vol. 4)
- 87 -104
- Carnauba wax
- Passes test See description under TESTS
- Ceresin, paraffins, and
- Passes test
- certain other waxes
- See description under TESTS
- Fats, Japan wax, rosin and soap
- Passes test See description under TESTS
- Glycerol and other polyols
- Not more than 0.5 % (calculated as glycerol) See description under TESTS
- Lead (Vol. 4)
- Not more than 2 mg/kg Determine using an atomic absorption technique appropriate to the specified level. The selection of sample size and method of sample preparation may be based on the principles of the methods described in Volume 4, “Instrumental Methods”.
- Test: Peroxide value
- Weigh accurately 5 g of the sample into a 200-ml conical flask. Add 30 ml of a 2:3 solution of chloroform and acetic acid TS and close the flask with a stopper. Heat with warm water and swirl to dissolve the sample. Cool to room temperature and add 0.5 ml of saturated potassium iodide solution. Close the flask with the stopper and shake vigorously for 60±5 sec. Add 30 ml of water and titrate immediately with 0.01 N sodium thiosulfate using starch TS as indicator. Carry out a blank determination. Peroxide value = ( a - b ) x N x 1000/ W where a = volume (ml) of sodium thiosulfate used for the sample b = volume (ml) of sodium thiosulfate used for the blank N = normality of the sodium thiosulfate W = weight of sample (g)
- Test: Carnauba wax
- Transfer 100 mg of the sample into a test tube, and add 20 ml of n -butanol. Immerse the test tube in boiling water, and shake the mixture gently until the sample dissolves completely. Transfer the test tube to a beaker of water at 60 o , and allow the water to cool to room temperature. A loose mass of fine, needle-like crystals separates from a clear mother liquor. Under the microscope, the crystals appear as loose needles or stellate clusters, and no amorphous masses are observed, indicating the absence of carnaúba wax.
- Test: Ceresins, paraffins and certain other waxes
- Transfer 3.0 g of the sample to a 100 ml round-bottomed flask, add 30 ml of a 4% w/v solution of potassium hydroxide in aldehyde-free ethanol and boil gently under a reflux condenser for 2 h. Remove the condenser and immediately insert a thermometer. Place the flask in water at 80 o and allow to cool, swirling the solution continuously. No precipitate is formed before the temperature reaches 65 o , although the solution may be opalescent.
- Test: Fats, Japan wax, rosin and soap
- Boil 1 g of the sample for 30 min with 35 ml of a 1 in 7 solution of sodium hydroxide, maintaining the volume by the occasional addition of water, and cool the mixture. The wax separates and the liquid remains clear. Filter the cold mixture and acidify the filtrate with hydrochloric acid. No precipitate is formed.
- Test: Glycerol and other polyols
- To 0.20 g of the sample in a round-bottom flask, add 10 ml of ethanolic potassium hydroxide TS, attach a reflux condenser to the flask and heat in a water bath for 30 min. Add 50 ml of dilute sulfuric acid TS, cool and filter. Rinse the flask and filter with dilute sulfuric acid TS. Combine the filtrate and washings and dilute to 100.0 ml with dilute sulfuric acid TS. Place 1.0 ml of the solution in a tube, add 0.5 ml of a 1.07 % (w/v) solution of sodium periodate, mix and allow to stand for 5 min. Add 1.0 ml of decolourized fuchsin solution (see below) and mix. Any precipitate disappears. Place the tube in a beaker containing water at 40 o . Allow to cool while observing for 10 to 15 min. Any bluish-violet colour in the solution is not more intense than a standard prepared at the same time in the same manner using 1.0 ml of a 0.001 % (w/v) solution of glycerol in dilute sulfuric acid TS. Decolourized Fuchsin Solution Dissolve 0.1 g of basic fuchsin in 60 ml of water. Add a solution of 1 g of anhydrous sodium sulfite (Reagent grade) in 10 ml of water. Slowly and with continuous shaking of the solution add 2 ml of hydrochloric acid. Dilute to 100 ml with water. Allow to stand protected from light for at least 12 h, decolourize with activated charcoal and filter. If the solution becomes cloudy, filter before use. If on standing the solution becomes violet, decolourize again by adding activated charcoal. Store protected from light.
Authorised in other additives, enzymes, flavourings and nutrients
These authorisations are not for use in food. They let this substance be used inside another additive, a food enzyme, a flavouring or a nutrient preparation — often as a carrier — and it reaches food only as part of that product. Annex III to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008.
| Part | May be used in | Maximum level | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annex III, Part 1: Carriers in food additives | Colours | quantum satis | Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, Annex III, Part 1 |
| Annex III, Part 4: Food additives including carriers in food flavourings | Flavourings in non-alcoholic flavoured drinks | 200 mg/l in flavoured drinks | Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, Annex III, Part 4 |
| Annex III, Part 5, Section A: Food additives added in nutrients except in nutrients intended to be used in foodstuffs listed in Part E, point 01.10, of Annex II and foodstuffs for infants and young children listed in Part E, point 13.1, of Annex II | All nutrientsCan be used as a carrier: Yes, only as a carrier | quantum satis | Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, Annex III, Part 5, Section A |
Every name it appears under
38 recorded names. A label may use any of them.
E number
- E901
INS number
- 901
CAS registry number
- 8012-89-3
As it appears in regulation
- Beeswax (yellow and white)
- Beeswax, white and yellow
Other names
- BEESWAX
- Beeswax, white and yellow
- E 901
- White wax
- Yellow wax
The EU re-evaluation programme
Every additive authorised in the EU before 20 January 2009 was put back through EFSA by Commission Regulation (EU) No 257/2010, and this one is named in it. What the Regulation required is below; whether the opinion has since been published is not something this site records.
- Already re-evaluated when the programme began. Listed in Annex I as “Beeswax, white and yellow”, against the words “Re-evaluation completed on 27 November 2007”, and therefore not re-evaluated again under it.
Hazard reference values
| Type | Value | Population | Assessed by | Opinion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ADI | not specified | — | JECFA | 2005 |
Evidence and how bodies read it
Studies, and the differing conclusions regulators drew from them, are curated rather than machine-read, and none has been written for this substance yet.
Common questions
Assembled from what is above, in the words the questions are usually asked in. Each answer is the same statement the relevant section makes, with the same citations behind it.
- What is E 901?
- E 901 is Beeswax (yellow and white). Beeswax is a glazing agent used to coat confectionery, fresh fruit and supplements, giving a shine and a moisture barrier. It is an animal product, though most vegetarians accept it.
- What is Beeswax (yellow and white) used for in food?
- It is listed as a glazing agent — the role Canada, Codex and the US assign it. This page shows every function each regulator records, with the citation for each.
- Where is Beeswax (yellow and white) permitted?
- Of the seven regulators this site reads, Australia and New Zealand, Canada, the EU, Great Britain, South Korea, the US and the Codex standard permit it. Each permission is for named foods at named levels, not a blanket one; the table on this page gives them with citations.
- Is Beeswax (yellow and white) vegan?
- No. Beeswax (yellow and white) is animal-derived, though it is generally accepted as vegetarian. This page says what it is made from.
Sources for this page
- anz retrieved 2026-10-17
- ca retrieved 2026-10-17
- eu retrieved 2026-10-18
- gb retrieved 2026-10-18
- kr retrieved 2026-10-18
- ecfr retrieved 2026-10-17
- gsfa retrieved 2026-09-07
- euspecs retrieved 2026-10-18
- jecfaspecs retrieved 2026-09-23
Full licence terms and publisher details on Sources. How this page is built and updated: Method.
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